‘Put that in your book, boys’: Border agent shot woman 5 times, then sent ‘trophy’ texts to his colleagues bragging about it

Democrats in Congress held a hearing this week to demand answers after a border patrol agent shot a US citizen five times and then sent texts bragging about it to his coworkers. The hearing featured testimony from several US citizens who said they were hurt by federal agents working under President Trump’s immigration crackdown.

According to The Guardian, the most disturbing testimony came from Marimar Martinez, a Chicago resident. She told lawmakers that Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum shot her multiple times while she was in her car. After the shooting, Exum sent pictures of Martinez lying wounded in the hospital to his colleagues, calling them “trophy” pictures.

Text messages sent by Exum were shown during the hearing. One message read: “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book, boys.” Exum later tried to cover up what he did by claiming Martinez attacked him and hit his vehicle with her car. She was charged with crimes, but those charges were later dismissed. Democratic lawmakers at the hearing called for Exum to be arrested and charged.

Republicans refused to attend while victims shared their painful experiences

The hearing was also marked by the fact that no Republicans showed up, even though the forum was meant to provide oversight of federal agents carrying out the administration’s immigration policies. Lawmakers also heard from Luke and Brent Ganger, the brothers of Renee Good. 

Good was a 37-year-old mother of three who was shot and killed by an Immigration, Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minneapolis on January 7, as she tried to drive away from agents. Luke Ganger said the family’s pain got worse after another person, 37-year-old protester Alex Pretti, was also shot and killed by two border patrol agents on January 24.

Ganger said his family felt shocked and desperate because they hoped his sister’s death would lead to change, but it hasn’t. “This is not just a bad day or a rough week or isolated incidents,” he said. “These encounters with federal agents are changing the community and changing many lives, including ours.” He said he still doesn’t know how to explain to his four-year-old daughter what these agents are doing when they drive by them.

Another witness, Aliya Rahman, described a frightening event that happened on January 13, 2026. Rahman has autism and a traumatic brain injury. She was stuck in traffic caused by ICE vehicles while trying to get to a medical appointment. 

Agents pulled her out of her car violently. When she yelled that she was disabled, an agent said, “too late.” The treatment Rahman received shows how some people face terrible customer service in serious situations. Rahman said an agent pulled out a large combat knife, which she thought was to cut her before she realized it was to cut her seat belt. 

She hit the ground face-first, causing sharp pain in her head, neck, and wrists. “I was carried facedown through the street by my cuffed arms and legs while yelling that I had a brain injury and was disabled,” she said. She said she now can’t lift her arms normally. 

She was never asked for ID or told she was under arrest before being taken to a detention center where agents called the detainees “bodies.” California Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, told the witnesses their stories were hard to hear.

Representative Ro Khanna criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and others involved in the raids, asking: “Have you no sense of decency? Have you no sense of shame?” The shocking behavior of these federal agents, including sending trophy texts, mirrors how a coworker acted inappropriately in another recent incident.